Khaberni - A match in Brazil witnessed fierce battles between the players of Cruzeiro and Atlético Mineiro, resulting in 23 red cards being shown all at once.
The British Broadcasting Corporation "BBC" reported in its coverage that 23 red cards were shown during the Cruzeiro versus Atlético Mineiro match in the Minas Gerais championship final.
Kaio Jorge scored the winning goal for Cruzeiro in the match played in Belo Horizonte, leading his team to a 1-0 victory over their rivals and clinching the Minas Gerais state championship title for the first time since 2019.
However, the match was marred by a violent brawl in the final seconds, prompting the intervention of security forces and military police, resulting in 23 players being sent off.
The mass brawl started when Atlético's goalkeeper, Everson, pushed Cruzeiro's player, Christian, to the ground while chasing the ball.
On the other side, Christian's teammates confronted Everson, pushing the goalkeeper towards the goalpost, which exacerbated the situation with more players joining in, while security personnel attempted to separate the players from both teams.
Despite referee Mateus Delgado Candançan not showing any red cards during the match, the Brazilian newspaper "Globo" reported that 23 players from outside the team were subsequently sent off because the brawl prevented the referee from showing the cards on the field.
Cruzeiro saw 12 players sent off, including Jorge, the scorer of the match-winning goal.
Among the 11 Atlético Mineiro players who were sent off were former Atlético Madrid and Nottingham Forest left back, Renan Lodi, and the towering striker Hulk.
For his part, Hulk commented on the incident, saying: "It is unfortunate... We cannot be role models as that will lead to dire consequences all over the world.. It's our responsibility to maintain our image and the image of the club."
